HB684

HB684 would remove student identification cards from the list of documents that can be used to obtain a ballot in New Hampshire. The large majority of submitters oppose the bill, arguing it amounts to voter suppression that disenfranchises eligible college students, while a smaller group of supporters argue student IDs are insufficiently standardized or that non-resident students should not vote in New Hampshire elections.

• Non-resident students should not vote using local NH student IDSupport8 of 311 reviewed

  Supporters argue that students who are only temporarily in New Hampshire for school are not true residents and should vote in their home state rather than using a student ID to vote in New Hampshire elections.

  • “The only Granite Staters who should be voting in New Hampshire elections should be Granite Staters. If there is a student attending a New Hampshire college and they want to vote here, then have them acquire a New Hampshire state driver's license”

    — James Gardner, Keene · #448751 — read full submission →

  • “Students who are temporarily in the state of New Hampshire should not be voting for our local and state officials. Only permanent residents, the people who live with and pay for the decisions made by those elected, should be allowed to vote”

    — Jill Bouchillon, Keene · #436894 — read full submission →

• Student IDs lack standardized security compared to government IDSupport11 of 311 reviewed

  Supporters argue student identification cards vary widely in format, are not issued under the same verification standards as government-issued IDs, and should be replaced with state-issued identification to protect election integrity.

  • “Student identification cards vary in format and may not have the compete information required.”

    — Ray Chadwick, Bedford · #459056 — read full submission →

  • “It was very frustrating for Supervisors when the SNHU students would show up late in the day to register to vote with only their student IDs as verification. We had to give them Affidavits because they could not even prove their citizenship or age”

    — Barb Brennan, Hooksett · #410881 — read full submission →

• Bill suppresses and disenfranchises eligible student votersOppose139 of 311 reviewed

  The dominant objection is that removing student IDs specifically targets college students and will cause eligible voters — who are 18, U.S. citizens, and domiciled in New Hampshire — to be turned away even though they can prove their identity and eligibility.

  • “HB684 is nothing more than a blatant voter suppression bill! By targeting college student IDs from the list of acceptable proofs of identity, this sneaky bill specifically targets college students”

    — Kacie Petrin Ellis, Brookline · #446235 — read full submission →

  • “Voters who are 18, US citizens, and domiciled in New Hampshire have the right to vote here and are asked to prove their identity when they do so. By limiting the types of IDs that are accepted, eligible voters will be turned away”

    — Anne Whitney, Rindge · #451911 — read full submission →

• Student IDs are already valid, secure identificationOppose31 of 311 reviewed

  Many submitters argue that student identification cards, verified through school enrollment processes, are already reliable and secure proof of identity and should not need to be supplemented with other documents.

  • “Student IDs are a secure form.of identification (in many ways more secure than our state IDs) and there is no good reason not to allow their use for voting purposes.”

    — Rebecca Purdin, Brookline · #457127 — read full submission →

• Restricting student voting discourages youth civic engagementOppose39 of 311 reviewed

  Submitters argue that making it harder for students to vote discourages young and first-time voters from participating in democracy and from becoming engaged, invested residents of New Hampshire.

  • “Removing the ability to use a student ID appears to be an effort to make it harder for young people, college students in NH, to vote! I believe this would discourage college students from being interested in becoming residents of NH!”

    — Katherine Anderson, Hancock · #425614 — read full submission →

  • “my observation is that young adults are excited to vote, especially for the first time. HB 684 is a voter suppression bill because it limits the types of IDs that are accepted.”

    — Debbie Kane, Exeter · #454244 — read full submission →

• Bill imposes unnecessary cost and hardship to obtain alternate IDOppose22 of 311 reviewed

  Some submitters point out that non-drivers, including students and elderly residents, would face burdensome DMV trips, fees, and delays to obtain a substitute ID, which they describe as functioning like a poll tax.

  • “Because DMV offices are a long way for many people, it can easily take half a day, interfering with work hours, in addition to transportation challenges for many. This amounts to a poll tax.”

    — Rebecca Noel, PLYMOUTH · #453512 — read full submission →

• No evidence of student voter fraud; bill solves a non-existent problemOppose21 of 311 reviewed

  Several submitters state there is no documented evidence of fraud involving student IDs, arguing the bill addresses a problem that does not exist in New Hampshire elections.

  • “This bill is based on a problem which doesn't exist. Our Attorney General has verified that our elections are accurate.”

    — Karen Burnett-Kurie, Wolfeboro · #446811 — read full submission →

  • “Since there is no evidence that students are voting illegally, this is just another MAGA inspired ploy to convince the public that there is a problem.”

    — Tim Schloemer, Greenfield · #440436 — read full submission →

• Bill is a partisan effort to reduce progressive-leaning votesOppose26 of 311 reviewed

  A number of submitters characterize the bill as politically motivated, arguing it specifically targets college students because they tend to vote for a particular party.

  • “HB684 and HB323 are voter suppression bills. By targeting college student IDs from the list of acceptable proofs of identity, these bills specifically target college students, who tend to lean more progressive”

    — Kathy Grondine, Litchfield · #440096 — read full submission →

  • “What is with you republicans and voter suppression. You should be making it easier to vote instead of harder. The talking point of fraud is BS and republicans are afraid if more people vote they will lose.”

    — Donna Cusick, Hudson · #440173 — read full submission →

Generated by claude-sonnet-5 (claude code agent) on Jul 20, 2026. Quotes are verbatim excerpts, verified against the cited submission before publication. Summaries are AI interpretation of the record, not part of it.